right eye and a slice of apple

 After having a conversation with my neuro ophthalmologist last year during a check up with my right eye....He told me the pain I have occasionally behind my eye is not from my strabismus surgery in 2015, rather it's from the injuries I had in 2014. I would hope this is different in the afternoon. I was hungry around 3am this morning only to have chronic pain and hoped for like a second, that it would go away once I finished part of my apple. I've taken pain reliever this morning and yesterday....there's been little change. What makes me feel a little better...a sugar free chocolate chip cookie...

7th with tea

This week ( on 3/6/21) marks seven years since surviving multiple brain injuries during a cerebral shunt revision surgery in 2014. I made a short film about my injuries a preview is available here.  I've had barometric pressure headaches and shunt pain a different times this weekend and into today. Right eye pain with pain along the distal catheter at the top of my head with some nausea. I suspect my shunt is adjusting itself today....something it does when the weather changes or if I stand up or sit down. As I do every year, I had a birthday pastry, deciding on a muffin this year with a side of tea.   

puzzles

Almost tipped over backwards this week due to balance issues. The last two days I've headaches in the back of my head (from chiari malformation). I also had a random Tinnitus episode in my right ear which hasn't happened in months. The curamin I've occasionally be taking for pain hasn't worked much in the last 48 hours. 

At least the curamin helped when I used it earlier this month. 

The barometric pressure outside is not helping. 

At least there's music, art, movies, puzzles, video games and books to distract from the chronic pain chaos.

 

And then there were vitamins

 At least today I don't feel like removing my shunt from my brain with a kitchen knife. Right eye and shunt pain was reduced by 100% when I took the vitamin curamin this morning. Yesterday, it worked for the morning and then pain returned during mid day and continued into the evening.  For now, I'm not waging a war against my shunt.

In my attempt to escape from both chronic pain and the pandemic we are all living in right now... I found two things that bring joy to my heart: music and fun commercials.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Intro & Outro - YouTube

Kia Sock Monkey Commercial - YouTube

A great escape.

Titinus and the eye

This month, tinnitus  has returned with occasional episodes of vertigo with a side of walking issues.

I haven't heard noises behind my right eye (strabismus surgery eye) for about a month. My shunt for the most part is behaving itself the last few days. A few weeks ago I felt a sharp pain run down the side of my neck along the distal catheter. I was worried the shunt might be getting obstructed again as I had a similar feeling in 2011 and the day after my shunt was obstructed and I was in the Emergency Room.  

I do talk to my shunt sometimes, thinking  I can convince it to behave especially when it's causing pain like I experienced a few weeks ago.  Eventually, the pain went away and I was relieved that my fears of having surgery again did not become a reality. 

While I am not in the operating room now, I do think about the children and adults who are having shunt revision surgery during this pandemic. 

Heavy metal and snow

Pain behind my eyes and in my forehead all day today, I took something for it and nothing has improved.  Sometimes the curamin vitamins I take work. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes ibupropfen works, sometimes it doesn’t. Yesterday was better. My shunt beeped once while I was driving last week. Most likely it was adjusting or reprogramming itself. I did think for a second that it was communicating with a satellite since it is magnetic.

If only I could order take out food or pick up on radio stations with the advanced technology inside my brain.

Many people benefit from taking prescribed medications, I’m not one of them. In the past, I’ve used prescribed medication for pain management. Because of the side effects, I had to stop.

I was given anti depressant medication once for pain management and all it gave me was severe  mood swings. Other medications like gapapentin made my knees, fingers go numb.

Exercise is a good distraction from my pain issues as is making new art and seeing black santa décor at my local mall.

Seeing black santa fills my heart with joy, as does heavy metal holiday music.  

Time to draw...

This morning, I have some nausea and headache from the chiari malformation in addition to sharp pains from the shunt valve. Time to draw....